Train derails east of Yale

A westbound train derailed about four kilometres northeast of Yale, across the Fraser River from the Trans-Canada Highway, and just north of the Saddle Rock Tunnel.

The incident happened as a result of the lead Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) locomotive hitting a boulder that had fallen onto the tracks at around 11 a.m. Nine grain cars and two locomotives were involved.

“[Canadian National Railway] crews are on the scene of a derailment involving multiple cars of a Canadian Pacific grain train operating on CN tracks south of Boston Bar,” said CN spokesperson Kate Fenske, adding that crews will work through the night to “remove the cars and complete a clean-up.”

When The Standard visited the site, crews using dinghy boats and a bulldozer were on-scene. Heavy equipment has to be brought to the site via rail because of a lack of road access.

No injuries nor hazardous goods were involved, said Fenske.

Yale Volunteer Fire Department fire chief Dan Friesen corroborated that debris on the tracks caused two Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) locomotives to go “just off the tracks,” and the grain cars to derail.

Friesen does not know how long clean up will take, but corroborated that no fuel or hazardous materials were involved, and as far as he knows, there were no injuries.

Yale resident Connie Court went to the scene and noted that the grain cars behind the locomotives “had gone like an accordion and folded up down the bank.”

“Two of them, I think, hit the water and spilled into the water, but because it’s grain so it’s feeding the fish,” said Court.

She talked to a staff member from CP Rail who said it would take at least three days before the railway line would be cleared and fixed.

“He said the trains will all be running on this side (north of the Fraser River) for a few days,” said Court.

More news is expected to come. Read the full story in the Oct. 27 edition of The Standard.